Alone
by Light Within Darkness
Summary: riku always knew what made sora afraid. AU, onesided Soriku, SoKai. rated for some disturbing content.


**Alone**

**By: YukaiChick**

**Author's Note:**** Wow. Going back after rereading this for the fourth time, I'm just in shock. And I'm a little scared of myself as well. Can't believe I actually wrote this.**

**DISCLAIMER:**** "Kingdom Hearts," "Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories," and "Kingdom Hearts II" all belong to Tetsuya Nomura-san and Square Enix. I own nothing.**

**DEDICATION: For my darling **Krystal**, who inspired this little plot bunny.**

**Reviews are nice. I like reviews.**

**I know this is short, but I honestly don't think it needs anything more.**

"Hey, Sora."

"Huh?" The boy in question, a spiky-haired brunet with huge, sea-blue eyes, turned against the stream of students all rushing out of Destiny High School, yelling and calling to each other. Everyone was eager to just get _out_ and hang at a café or arcade or the mall now that school was finally _over._

But the boy who'd called to Sora was not going along with the tide of students heading for the parking lot or the school buses. He was leaning in the shadows of the school doorway, long silver hair brushed over hooded, ice-blue eyes. Waiting.

"…Riku?" Sora headed back towards his best friend since the two had been in diapers.

"C'mon." Riku headed back into the school, now deserted and quiet. Frowning slightly, Sora followed. A last group of freshman girls, loudly whining about their latest Biology test, scampered out just as the front doors closed with a loud _thud_ behind the two boys.

"What are you doing?" Sora asked, turning to his friend with a questioning look. "We're supposed to meet Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie at the Blitzball Arcade today…"

"Come with me," Riku said curtly, cutting off Sora's questioning. He turned and headed down the hallway at a fast walk. Although the two friends were close in age, Riku was a head taller than Sora, and stronger. The other boy had to jog to catch up.

"What's up?" Sora asked, falling in to step next to Riku. A small wrinkle formed in the center of his forehead, which happened whenever he was confused.

"I just want to talk to you," was the quiet reply. Then Riku was silent.

Sora realized just then how quiet the school was after classes were over. He and Riku had never stayed after school, preferring to spend their time "raising hell," as his mom called it with an affectionate grin. But the school was really-well, _creepy_ was the only word for it when no one else was there. Destiny High had never had good lighting, so the hall lights kept flickering, sending eerie shadows across the walls. The hallways were smudged with dirt from the hundreds of shoes that had scraped along them throughout the day, and the grilles at the tops of the lockers lining the hallways seemed to almost be watching the boys as they walked. Sora, shuddering slightly, couldn't help but think of a graveyard despite the familiarity of the setting. He wished Riku would just get on with it so that they could go and meet their friends.

…Well, _his_ friends anyway. Sora shot a glance at Riku. Ever since high school had started, Riku had become…different. He'd grown quieter, more reserved. He rarely smiled anymore, even when Sora was around. It seemed the days of carefree playing on their Islands, when Riku was laughing and smiling every minute, were gone. When Sora had met Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie after high school started and befriended them, it had almost seemed like Riku was…angry. He only hung out with them when Sora was around, and he'd barely say two words the whole time. Everyone was uncomfortable with Riku acting so mopey, and lately Sora had found himself spending more time with his new friends, and less time with Riku.

Sora again shot a quick, sidelong glance at Riku. If his friend seemed at all nervous about being in the school this late after class, he didn't show it. The silver-haired boy simply walked along at his usual fast pace, icy eyes staring straight ahead. But that was how Riku _was_-after all, the boy even ignored most of the cute girls who made it no secret that they'd love to go out with him. And that was something that most guys would kill for.

"In here." Riku stopped suddenly, snapping Sora out of his thoughts, and pushed open the door to the school gym. Even more confused now, Sora followed Riku into the small, stuffy gym and let the door swing shut behind them with a loud BANG.

"So…what's up?" Sora asked, uncomfortable with the weirdness of the whole situation. He couldn't quite bring himself to meet Riku's eyes, and stared down at his brown loafers instead. "What did you want to talk about?"

Riku leaned back against the wall, pinning Sora with the full brunt of his intense eyes. "I heard you asked out Kairi Hawatari," he said softly.

"Yeah," Sora said, relaxing a little and looking up at Riku for the first time. "How did you find out?"

"Tidus," came the simple reply.

"Oh…" Tidus had stopped by Sora's house a few nights ago, when Kairi had been there working on homework ith him. His smirks and elbow nudges in Sora's ribs had caused the brunet's face to go beet-red, and he'd been absolutely mortified. Tidus was also in the same math class as Sora and Kairi, so it wouldn't have been hard for him to miss Sora asking Kairi to hang back after class today, or the big grin on the other boy's face afterwards. Then it was just a simple matter of putting two and two together. It was just like Tidus to tell all the guys in the school, too.

Sora had instantly been intrigued with Kairi when she'd moved to Destiny Islands from Radiant Garden. Her dark red, shoulder length hair and sparkling blue-violet eyes seemed to draw everyone right to her, even when she was wearing the Destiny High girls' uniform of a short, blue plaid skirt, white tank top, blue tie, knee socks, and brown loafers. She and Sora had sat right next to each other in the back of the room in math, which Kairi wasn't very good in. They'd started trading math notes, with Sora trying to help her catch up. Then they'd started talking more after class, and Kairi had started hanging around with Sora, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie after school. Everyone liked her, and unlike Riku, she'd fit right in. Then Kairi had started coming over to Sora's house to do homework together and hang out. When Tidus had caught them a few nights ago, Sora had decided to ask her out. He couldn't deny that she was pretty, and a good student. He wanted to take the next step in their relationship, and had been ecstatic when she'd blushed prettily and shyly said "yes," to his offer to go out for lunch next week.

"We're just going to the Seaside Shack Café for lunch, though," Sora said quickly, not wanting Riku to think his relationship with Kairi was anything more than "just friends"…yet. "Nothing too special."

"Of course," said Riku, but he didn't look at all reassured. Rather, the small frown on his lips deepened at Sora's confirmation of Tidus's words. He stood up from the wall, and his footsteps echoed loudly across the gym floor as he stopped a scant inch in front of Sora.

"Sora…" Riku's eyes softened as he gazed down at the boy he'd known all his life. He reached out and placed his hands on Sora's shoulders, drawing the shorter boy against him. Sora's deep blue eyes widened in shock. "Sora…I love you."

Then Riku kissed Sora, right on the lips.

"Mmph!" Sora brought his hands up to Riku's chest and tried to push him away, but the older boy merely wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tighter, kissing him harder. Sora began to struggle, pushing harder, and finally Riku broke the kiss. The two boys staggered away from each other, breathing heavily. Sora didn't stop moving until he was pressed up against the opposite wall from Riku.

"Riku…" Sora could see that Riku was waiting, practically holding his breath for what Sora would say next. It was all in his eyes, which were still soft and vulnerable and staring right at him. Sora knew his next words would break his best friend's heart, and his own broke a little at that thought. But they needed to be said.

"Riku, we're just friends," Sora cried out, a little desperately. "I'll always be your best friend, and you'll always be mine. But…I can't be more than that for you. I'm sorry. I just don't feel that way about you." Sora looked down at the floor, unable to face the taller boy.

Riku's eyes hardened to frozen chips of ice in his face, and his mouth set into a grim line. He felt something invisible pass between him and Sora in that moment, as he stared at the spiky brown locks of the boy who'd just broken his heart. He knew nothing would ever be the same between him and Sora again.

"Look, man, let's just go home." Sora sounded on the verge of tears now.

"Hey Sora," Riku called out, emotionless, into the space between them. He stepped out into the middle of the gym floor.

"Huh?" Sora looked up, still clueless.

"I know something about you that I bet no one else knows. Not Tidus. Not Wakka. Not Selphie. Not even _Kairi._ Hey, I bet not even your family knows this."

"Wh-What?" Sora was beginning to get nervous now.

"You hate-" Riku backed up to the gym wall again, his feet making loud THUDS on the floor. His hand flew out, fingers scrabbling against the wall like a spider, searching for something. Sora could only stare, petrified, eyes huge.

"To be-" Riku's hand found the cold metal light switch, and his fingers closed around it tightly.

"Alone."

The Destiny High School gym was plunged into complete and absolute darkness.

"Riku!?" Sora's high-pitched, fear-filled voice echoed out through the gym. His breath caught in his throat and stayed there.

No one was there to hear Sora scream.

**Author's Note:**** Even I don't know what happens to Sora there. So you'll just have to use your own imaginations. ;) I'm terribly cruel, I know.**

**Review please?**

**~YukaiChick~**


End file.
